Autopsy points to trauma, hypothermia in hiker’s death

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – An autopsy report says a New Jersey man died from blunt force trauma, hypothermia or a combination of both while he was hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Coloradoan reported Sunday that the body of 30-year-old Ryan Albert of Marlton, New Jersey, was found in late May after he went missing in October.

The Boulder County Coroner’s Office says it could not be more specific on his cause of death due to the body’s decomposition.

Park rangers discovered Albert’s body in deep snow in a steep, rocky ravine called the Trough.

He was last seen Oct. 4 on the trail on Longs Peak, the park’s highest mountain.

Rangers told the coroner’s office that Albert possibly fell into the Trough area or entered it to escape severe weather.

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Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan, http://www.coloradoan.com